Ticker: Judge blocks power line construction restart; Price at the pump down 2 cents

A judge declined a request by developers of a $1 billion power line to resume construction, keeping the project on hold until a decision next year on the constitutionality of a referendum that halted the project.

The judge on Friday rejected an injunction by the New England Clean Energy Connect and said the case is on a “fast track” for a trial in April.

Developers suggested the project is at a “tipping point” where delays could cause Massachusetts, which is funding the project, to walk away.

The project, which would supply enough Canadian hydropower for 1 million homes in New England, received regulatory approvals but voters rejected the project in a referendum after construction had begun.

The proposal calls for a 145-mile power line from Canada into Maine, where it could connect to the regional power grid.

Price at the pump down 2 cents

Gasoline prices ticked downward in the most recent survey of the price at the pump in Massachusetts.

Drivers are paying $3.58 a gallon on average this week,  2 cents lower than they were a week ago, according to AAA Northeast.

The price of gas in Massachusetts is a whopping 21 cents less than the national average of $3.79 a gallon, according to the motor club.

“Global recession fears coupled with the Biden Administration’s plan to continue tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve into December has helped temper oil prices,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast Vice President of Public and Government Affairs. “This will help take the pressure off pump prices, benefitting drivers and their wallets.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/y8WUgYC